UPDATED 2/17!! The final chapter w/ PICS - Mom, Dad, & the Bionic Baby do Disney!

[MinnieMom]

Loving your reviews! We took DD to WDW for the first time when she was right around your son's age and it was such a wonderful trip. It was amazing to see the "World" through her eyes!

 

[soontobewed07]

Thank You for sharing your reviews Your munchkin is so cute I found it really helpful you included your DS's meals as our "Badookie" will be 21 Months when we go in 2.5 weeks and it looks like there is alot of food for him to enjoy!

 

[jeminni]

Loving your review. Nathan is so cute.

 

[staceylynnga]

Thank you all so much for your fun comments!! I know I am many days behind, but my work schedule (I work evenings from home - until midnight) has made it difficult for me to take time once Nathan is napping or asleep to finish.

I promise I will finish my last day and a half before Saturday!

 

[msce2]

Great reviews! Thank you!!! Your Nathan is a little cutie pie! We have a Nathan also. We have high hopes our Nate will take naps in his stroller like your Nathan did. Our little guy will be 3 at the end of May, and is a complete disaster without his nap.

 

[Joie29]

We checked in, waited a few, they sat us in a nice corner table at the far left side of the restaurant (almost behind the sushi bar, next to that hallway and the windows). We couldn't have been happier!

Loved reading about Kona--it is on our "must-try" list for dinners for our next trip!

By the way, we always ask to sit in corners too...we love it! Since DD came along we have also found it pleasant and easier to keep her "contained" near us, but still be able to roam a bit, if we are in a corner or booth. Plus, we like to be cozy.

 

[aladdinsgirl]

I am really enjoying your reviews!! Nathan is so cute!

My son will be 17 months when we go in December, seeing what Nathan is eating/can eat is really helping me to know what to expect with Carter. Great tip on the no late dinners--something I would have never thought of. DH and I have been to WDW around 15 times in the 8 years we've been married, it's going to be hard to remember that we have to tour the World differently now!

 

[Kion10]

I love your dining review!

 

[staceylynnga]

So my promise to finish up by last weekend went by the wayside - I was visiting family up north for the weekend and just returned home Monday. And with a 19 month old and work, I'm sure you all can understand my lateness.

Thursday, January 29th

This actually became our last full day in Disney - we were initially booked until Saturday, but the weather became spotty with rain on and off all day, putting a damper on our plans for a 2nd day at DHS (scheduled for Friday) - the rain was supposed to continue all day Friday...

Again, on a tangent.... it's a bad habit, but I write the way I speak - if I'm thinking it, it comes out LOL

Thursday we enjoyed a 2nd day at Magic Kingdom to see what we missed on Tuesday. We let ourselves sleep in a bit and left the room in what we thought was late morning, starting out with breakfast at

FOOD COURT - POP CENTURY

Once again, chaos! It's just so many people going every which way and there is no clear path through the food court, especially the seating area.
Though we swore we didn't want to return here, as I mentioned previously, when my Dave is hungry, he needs to eat "RIGHT NOW".

Fortunately, this time we took the easy way out and brought our food by the Hippity Dippity pool. My Dave had the breakfast pizza, which I have never had before but really enjoyed. Something about eggs, bacon, and ranch on a flat piece of dough just makes me smile. We ordered something for Nathan but he wasn't eating well this a.m. (ultimately, we learned all of the busy time finally got to him - he wound up with a pretty ugly cold the day after we arrived home which he didn't kick for almost a week; and this is a baby who has never been sick, so it was no picnic). I'm not sure if there is a way to avoid it, Disney is just a busy vacation and there are lots of people and children around, so it is very easy to tire out where the immune system suffers. Thankfully, he is now back to normal and perfect as can be.

Since we didn't want to have a full lunch b/c of a 4:30 p.m. dinner res at 1900 Park Fare, I'll share some pics from our day at MK


You can see that after 4 beautiful days, the weather finally turned against us


Dave sporting his new Mickey hat - Nathan starting to look sleepy


I didn't think he was ready to sit on his own horse, so there we are in the back of that chair on the carousel


Country Bear Jamboree was very cute


We caught the tale end of the parade (we had front row views by Liberty Square on our first day at MK)


It really is an emotional experience - joy through the tears (or something like that LOL)

We left the park once the parade was over and made our way in the rain to the Grand Floridian (had to take the long route via. Contemporary, Polynesian, etc b/c they had closed the entrance to the monorail which goes the other way & hits GF first). WHY oh WHY do people insist on cutting others off (it got to a ridiculous point as we were following the people to the monorail station) - we are all going to the same place... especially as I am with a baby in a stroller, it really started to grate on us this day. I'm sure many of you can relate. Moving on...

1900 PARK FARE - "CINDERELLA'S GALA FEAST" - GRAND FLORIDIAN

We were about 20 minutes early for our reservation, so wasted time by moseying around the lobby areas of the GF (interesting how they have elevators reserved for Club level guests only - it was almost amusing, although it make me feel like a 3rd class citizen LOL). We gave Nathan some free time to get his energy out...


One step at a time

At 4:30 p.m., they invited one of the other guest's daughter to participate in a presentation of sorts to open the doors to the Gala Feast - it was cute, although I don't remember the details.

The buffet itself was just okay - they seriously overcooked the roast beef (it was definitely medium well to well), but my Dave ate some anyway (and he likes his beef moo-ing). I really loved the sauteed broccoli and the caesar salad. Food-wise, everything else was pretty forgettable. Nathan enjoyed a sampling of their kiddie fare (don't forget to check both sides of the buffet, they have 2 separate kids buffets), including pizza (he didn't eat it), macaroni (which I added parmesan too - tomato sauce is too messy for one still learning to use silverware), and chicken tenders.


How adorable is this child!?!


I think he was calling on some higher power to bless his food


Daddy, do I have to meet more characters???


You look pretty harmless


I'm too young to date!


Nice broach!


Drizella and me


Anastasia performing her magic on Nathan - as you can see, he's had it by now

The characters were definitely the highlight and we used our final TS credit for this meal.

We intended to return to MK for Wishes and the Spectromagic, but due to weather and just fatigue, we headed back to Pop for an early night.

Friday, January 30th

Woke up this a.m. to more rain in the forecast... thus our decision to check out early. Because of this, I had to check out in person at the front desk - plus to make sure they didn't charge us for an add'l day with the fridge.

Wanting to avoid our final a.m. in the dreaded food court, we headed to the Disney Marketplace for breakfast at

WOLFGANG PUCK'S EXPRESS

I cannot recommend this place more highly... for those who have seen my review since I began it, we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at WPE. Happy to learn they serve breakfast as well (and with 3 quick service meals left), we packed up the car, checked out, and felt it would be a great way to finish our stay.

Once again, great service - the coffee machine had run out, but if you open your mouth & tell someone, they are right on it and super friendly too.

Dave and I both ordered breakfast pizzas (these were huge and similar to the one's in ingredients as those at Pop) and I ordered a belgian waffle for Nathan. We had the extra QS meal, may as well make sure my son has a good breakfast before our 7+ hour trip home. The food was delicious and it's so difficult, even when you are full, to avoid taking just one more bite.

How timely that we were then on to Goofy's Candy Company to use up our remaining 6 snack credits! Hobbling... hehe

We bought a juice for Nathan, trio of pretzel rods (they still give you 3 - I ordered one white choc., one choc. w/ white drizzle, and one white choc. w/ choc. drizzle), a few choc. dipped rice krispie treats (the one on the stick is much better than the big rectangle in the bakery case), and Dave wanted mamba candies or something. The pretzel rods were by far my favorite and didn't last too long.

Other snack uses along the trip (for those interested in the ddp) -
We often bought juice/sodas/water for during the day
The croissant at the MK bakery (delicious!)
I bought a cookie on our first day in DTD - it was a snickerdoodle - didn't care for it and threw over 1/2 of it away - it's not a cookie, it's almost cake-y or something, just too dense and tasted almost like play-doh (yes, I ate play doh as a child, lol.
The beignets at POFQ - again, didn't love these - can't figure out what the fuss is (and they make a huge mess!)

Thanks so much for letting me share this with all of you - hope it gives you some ideas for your next trip or lets you reminisce about your recent Disney vacation.

 

[MinnieMom]

Breakfast at WPE sounds so good. I can't wait to try it next month. Did you happen to notice if there was a child's menu for BF? Thanks!

 

[skellingtonfreak]

Great reviews! Glad I got to enjoy them!

 

[staceylynnga]

Hey MinnieMon - WPE is definitely a great alternative and it wasn't busy at all that a.m. (could have been the rain or perhaps people are more likely to head to DTD in the afternoon & evening).

What is BF?

 

[Joie29]

More fun reviews! Thanks so much for sharing them!

 

[TigerKat]

Thanks for taking the time to share your reviews with us!

 

[allshookup]

BOMA!!!
We drove to Animal Kingdom Lodge - and got lost. Will someone explain to me why, if you miss your turn, you have to drive another 3 miles before you can turn around??? Thankfully, we were still 10 minutes early (I despise being late), and checked in at the podium. We waited a few minutes to sit down... had a friendly server from somewhere in Africa (I'm sorry I don't remember her name). I ordered a glass of wine, Dave had a coke, Nathan had his juice. The food was simply delicious!!! If I could go back, I would in a heartbeat. We are not buffet people; unless it's Disney or an ethnic restaurant (so you can sample a bunch of things), I'd rather avoid buffets. But this one was fantastic. For those who are not adventurous eaters, there is plenty for you to like here. For the rest of you, go nuts!!! We loved the curry pasta salad (I asked for the recipe - hopefully I get it one day; I left my email address with them) and the fufu (it's like mashed squash or sweet potatoes or something). The cous cous was very good. I tried 2 of the soups (the mushroom and something else) - both okay, but I wasn't in the mood for soup. I am not a vegetarian, but didn't eat any meat this night - must have been the curry pasta salad. Double helpings! Dave had the roast beef and enjoyed it. For dessert, and this goes throughout WDW, they have the most amazing fruit. The freshest strawberries, I could have devoured them all!, yummy pineapple. I didn't try the Zebra Domes - they didn't call my name. But the apple cobbler was pretty good as was the bread pudding. Highly recommended!!!

Here's a link to the Boma Pasta Salad recipe from Allears. Hope this is the one you're looking for:

http://allears.net/din/rec_berps.htm

 

[MinnieMom]

Hey MinnieMon - WPE is definitely a great alternative and it wasn't busy at all that a.m. (could have been the rain or perhaps people are more likely to head to DTD in the afternoon & evening).

What is BF?

Sorry! BF was for breakfast! I don't see any children's breakfast menus on any of the DIS sites, so I was wondering if there is a separate menu for them.

 

[WDWPrincess1208]

The huts you mentioned on the boatride back to Downtown Disney are the treehut villas.

 

[staceylynnga]

Hey MinnieMom - I can only speak for Wolfgang Puck Express, Sunshine Seasons, & the food courts (Pop Century in particular, but I'm sure the others as well), but there are many children's items for breakfast.

At WPE, even though I ordered my son an adult belgian waffle, I believe I saw at least 3 or 4 kiddie items.
At the Pop Food Court, there were Mickey Waffles, scrambled eggs w/ bacon & sausage platters, pancakes, cereal by the box, many choices.
At the Sunshine Season's food area in The Land at EPCOT, I believe they had similar items, maybe even kiddie french toast.

Also, at the Crystal Palace buffet - in addition to standard breakfast fare (scrambled eggs, omelet station, fresh fruit, bagels/croissants/muffins, bacon, sausage, hash browns), they had this odd Pooh's breakfast lasagna - didn't try it, didn't look like my cup o' tea LOL. And again, more mickey waffles, cottage cheese, et al.

I would imagine that all places in Disney that serve breakfast have choices for children. Plus many toddlers will eat eggs or oatmeal or similar breakfast fare.

I hope I answered your question